I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to home security and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for audible/visual detection of conventional consumer smoke or carbon monoxide detectors.
II. Description of Related Art
Many homes and businesses contain hazard alarms for detecting the presence of smoke and/or carbon monoxide. Such detectors are typically purchased by consumers at the retail level and installed in their homes and businesses. When a fire or excess carbon monoxide is detected, these detectors typically emit a piercing siren and/or visual effect (e.g., flashing light). However, older people often have hearing or mobility difficulty and remain at a significantly increased risk of injury even if the audible alarm sounds.
Home security monitoring vendors such as Ackerman or ADT™ offer networked detectors and failsafe deployment of first responders. Again, when an alarm condition is detected, these systems emit an audible local alarm and also send an alarm code to a central panel for alerting a remote monitoring station, which in turn dispatches proper authorities to the location where the alarm condition exists. However, these network detectors are typically system-specific, and are installed by a third party along with other detectors such as door and window monitors for unauthorized entry. These network systems and their dedicated alarms are expensive and not generally used for middle and low income housing.
Inexpensive consumer smoke or carbon monoxide detectors cannot communicate with home security systems, or vice versa, since these consumer-grade detectors generally lack the capability to wirelessly communicate with a centrally-located security panel. Further, most wireless security panels use proprietary protocols to reduce the ability for third party products to communicate with these panels. Consequently, when a consumer smoke or carbon monoxide detector sounds an alarm and no one is present inside the home, the alarm will not be acted on.
Consequently, there remains a need for an apparatus that would enable network monitoring of consumer-level fire and carbon monoxide alarms.